I am aghast to read the above! I have little experience of agency staff except for the Reablement Team who came to visit my Mum 3 times a day after both her hospital stays after suffering strokes. This service was provided free so I didn't feel I could complain about it very much and it was only for 6 days each time, however I had to say something when they repeatedly left the front door unlocked when they left - it's one of those doors where you only have to push the handle down from outside and you're in
so that was a major safety issue.
Mum is on a soft food diet and many convenience foods are not suitable, also my Dad doesn't like 'foreign muck'
so won't eat anything with pasta in it. They still want to prepare their own meals as much as they can but Mum can't cook anymore and they find many instructions too small to read and too many variables to follow the correct one. The brand new and very basic microwave I bought after Mum's first stroke remains a mystery! So one thing I do for my parents is, once a month for an afternoon, channel my Inner Delia and have a massive cook off. I have every hob taken up with a big saucepan, at least 2 casseroles in the oven and the slo-cooker going and make up to ten different dishes, then put them in foil trays and write basic heating instructions on the cardboard lid in big letters, such as 'Turkey Fricassee for 2 - 30 mins at 180 degrees. 45 mins from frozen. 1.3.15' etc. I usually get 3 or 4 foil containers from each casserole dish as they don't eat a huge amount but still prefer tasty food.
Then I load up the car with about 30 foil containers full, zip off to their house and load up their chest freezer. They are able to prepare their own veg for now so it means they get at least one hot meal a day and are still able to cook it themselves and feel more independent as they hate me 'wasting time with us when you could be out with your friends'.
You don't have to do so many at once but I prefer to. I actually enjoy it and feel huge satisfaction when I see the stack of trays all ready to deliver and know they will enjoy them - I am the Colchester branch of Wiltshire Farm Foods! Even if you can't cook there are cook in sauces you can use and the basic instructions you write on the lid should be easy to follow even for someone who has English as a second (or third!) language. Just leave the meal you want them to heat up on the worktop with a HUGE note. Foil trays with cardboard lids are available from Tesco or The Pound Shop.
And if they can't do THAT then you have every right to complain and ask for a competent carer. You are paying for the service after all, even if it's through your tax and NI.
